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Managing Heat Stress Events in Flying Fox Colonies

Heat Stress Event Workshop,15th November 2014, RSPCA Wacol

As a response to the devastating heat stress event on 4th January
2014, Bats Qld and the RSPCA organized a workshop to offer training on how to handle a heat stress events in a bat colony to reduce
deaths and limit the number of animals that are taken into care and how to triage and treat those animals once they are in care.
The
workshop was attended by a wide range of interested groups from wildlife groups from as far away as Sydney, almost all of the SE Qld
groups and others up to central Queensland as well as representatives from state and local governments.

The workshop was organised
by Charmaine Brayley.

The presenters were Linda Collins, co-author of the definitive manual on managing heat stress, Dr Tania Bishop, wildlife vet at the
RSPCA who has extensive skills and experience in working with heat stressed bats, and Dr Mandy Paterson, Principal Scientist RSPCA
who covered the issues of zoonosis and PPE.
After the main speakers, a forum was held where there was a general consensus as to the
need of a communication network to include all participants in a HSE and also the need to formalize a monitoring system for colonies,
especially those colonies that have proved susceptible to a HSE.
The only downside to the day was the news of potential HSE happening
in colonies to the north and west of Wacol and the subsequent need for some participants to leave to monitor the colonies.

Workshop Documents

The material from the workshop is available as pdf's via the links below. As more material relevant to
heat stress events becomes available it will be added to the list so please occasionally revisit this site to check for more information.

The weather bureau is predicting a very hot and dry summer with
much higher than average temperatures starting in November 2015. This means that there is a very strong possibility of one or more
heat stress events in bat colonies in SE Queensland. There was a heat stress event in November 2014 at Caboolture and Casino.

Bat
carers need to be prepared with the latest colony management techniques and equipment in order to reduce the fatalities resulting
from a HSE.

Anyone who is prepared to work at the Woodford, Kilcoy, Caboolture or Burpengary colonies during
a HSE and would like to know what is involved.

Anyone who is interested in being prepared for a HSE at any other colony.

Anyone who
is willing to share their plans and preparations. The more input from different sources, the better the final plan and the better
outcome for the bats.

The aim of the morning was to

Explain the Woodford colony plan

Revise the operation timeline and requirements when volunteers arrive
at a colony, when sprayers move into the colony to start spraying and at what stage animals (adults and babies) should be picked up
for triage.

Demonstrate the equipment for water transport and back pack sprayers.

Provide information about equipment needed and preparations
that should be made by individual volunteers.

List the equipment that is available at Woodford to reduce doubling up of some equipment.

Recommend the first aid kit that a volunteer should bring and display the contents of the first aid kit that will be available at
Woodford.

Run through the triage operations and review how to recognize when an animal needs vet attention.